A monetary donation from Great Bend High School students, added to time donated by the Barton County Young Professionals and other volunteers, means area children may be better prepared when they start school. More than 400 literacy kits from the United Way of Central Kansas have been assembled to hand out at Kindergarten Roundups this spring.

The cause of a fire in a gin pole truck stolen Sunday night from Duke Drilling, 620 Hubbard St., continues to be under investigation, Great Bend Fire Chief Mike Napolitano said Thursday. A mobile home fire earlier that day at 5501 Ninth St. has been ruled accidental.

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment have proclaimed January "Kansas Radon Action Month" to help educate Kansans about the dangers of radon exposure and encourage actions to identify and address radon problems in the home.

Each week we'll take a step back into the history of Great Bend through the eyes of reporters past. We'll reacquaint you with what went into creating the Great Bend of today, and do our best to update you on what "the rest of the story" turned out to be.

Barton Community College waited weeks for its October tax distribution from the Barton County Treasurer's Office, but by the first of the year the payments were caught up. Dean of Administration Mark Dean said the Oct. 31 and Dec. 18 distributions were combined as one payment of $956,603.

TOPEKA – The U.S. Supreme Court today sided with Kansas and ruled that the death sentences imposed on two capital murder defendants in Wichita and one in Great Bend did not violate the U. S. Constitution, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said Wednesday.

The newly restructured Great Bend Convention and Visitors' Bureau board will hold its first meeting at noon Friday in the Great Bend Events Center, it was announced at the City Council meeting Monday night.

WICHITA -- Areas east and south of Barton County are part of a winter weather advisory Tuesday. Winter weather will impact the south central Kansas region through the evening hours, with a mix of light freezing drizzle and light snow. Snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches will be confined to portions of Nebraska, northeast Kansas and central to northern Missouri. Meanwhile, light ice accumulations will create slick travel conditions through the evening.